Garter



Sept. 6, 1938. F. w. KEELER 2,129,092

GARTER Filed Oct. 27, 1957 Jjfl INVENToR. rlvank Wleeje B @M Wm ATTORNEYS.

7471251 g ff Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARTER Frank W. Keeler, Flint, Mich. Application October 27, 1937, Serial No. 171,211

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to garters for supporting stockings and the like; and its object is, generally, to provide' such a garter improved in various respects; and, more particularly, to provide a garter which will not only eiectively support the stocking but will also yieldingly maintain the wearers trouser leg in spaced relation to his leg thus acting to assist the trousers in concealing the outline of his leg and preventing the trousers from wrinkling or becoming unshapely; 4and further, to provide such a garter comprising an inner elastic band member and an outer flexible tubular member of comparatively less elasticity, said members being relatively movable in the expanding and contracting movements of the band member; and further, to provide such a garter having a radial extension for spacing the trouser leg from the leg of the wearer; and further, to provide in such a garter a tubular member of split form having adjacent free ends, and to form such ends of larger diameter than that of the intermediate portion of said member to thus provide the said extension for yieldingly spacing the trouser leg outwardly; and further, to provide said tubular member formed of comparatively hard flexible ibres interwoven so loosely that said member will be expanded in its longitudinal or in its transverse direction by compressing it in the relatively opposite direction, thus causing it to readily assume the shape into "which it is urged by the elastic band member inside it.

These and any other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention nds preferable embodiment in, the illustrative garter particularly described in the body of this specification and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a top side or bottom side view of a garter embodying my invention;

Figure 2 shows human lower limbs wearing the garters and stockings supported thereby, the position of a trouser leg being indicated in broken lines;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 of the garter expanded and partially sectioned on line 3 3 of Figure 2, the supported stocking being sectioned on the same line;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the garter taken on line 4-4' of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of the garter and stocking taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by this drawing, a garter is shown comprising an inner member the elastic band I and an outer member the flexible round tubular cover 2 therefor. In the preferable construction thus illustrated, the band Vinner member I is cross-sectionally round, and the tubular outer member 2 containing member I is a webof ilexible comparatively hard bres 3. These fibres intersect each other diagonally Vand are so loosely interwoven, as indicated, that this outer member 2 will be expanded in its longitudinal or in its transverse direction by compressing'it in the relatively opposite direction.

At a point in the garters circumferential periphery the outer member 2 has a radial extension, so that when the garter is in the desired turned position on the wearers leg, that side of the trouser leg adjacent said extension is yieldingly spaced or held outwardly from the leg of the wearer. For instance and as seen in Figure 2, the garter is turned to the position wherein the inner side 4 of the trouser leg (indicated in broken lines) is spaced from the wearers leg 5 so that the shape of the rather concave surface 6 of his leg is concealed. The garter may be turned to other positions for the like purpose.

Such radial outward extension is as shown desirably created by forming the free end portions 'I of the outer member 2 of greater diameter than that of said members intermediate portionthat is, the free end portions of the outer member 2 are ilared outwardly as shown. Thus the end portions of outer member 2 at the opposite sides of the gap 8 form such radial extension as shown in Figure 3.

The stocking 9 in Figures 3 and 5 is seen rolled over and around the garter, two turns or plies of the stocking thus rolled over the garter being shown in these views.

As particularly shown in Figure 4 the internal diameter of the outer tubular member 2 is much greater than the diameter of the elastic band member I inside it. Inasmuch as the outer member 2 is expansible and contractible as above explained, the inner member I, as the garter is expanded or stretched, or is contracted, has a frictional sliding movement on the inner surface of the exible outer member 2 thus causing it to assume the diierent positions illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

The free end portions of outer member 2 are, as shown in Figure l, turned inwardly to form a strengthening hem I0. This device may, of course, be used in other connections, as with the sleeves of garments and the like. This garter although applied below the wearers knee will hold the stocking supported.

The invention being intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawing or hereinbefore described.

I claim:

1. A stocking-supporting garter comprising an inner elastic band member and a tubular outer member having adjacent outwardly flaring free ends forming a radial outward extension in which outer member the band member is slidable in the garters circumferential direction.

2. A stocking-supporting garter comprising an inner elastic band member -and a tubular outer member having adjacent outwardly aring free ends forming a radial outward extension.

3. A stocking-supporting garter comprising an inner elastic band member and a round tubular outer member wherein the band member is slidable, said outer member being a web composed of elastic fibres intersecting diagonally and so loosely interwoven as to render the outer member expansible either in its circumferential or in its transverse direction when compressed in its transverse or in its circumferential direction respectively, the outer member having an inner cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sec- 0 tional area of the band member.

4. A stocking-supporting garter comprising an inner elastic band member and a round tubular outer member wherein the band member is slidable, said outer member having adjacent free ends and being a web composed of elastic bres intersecting diagonally and so loosely interwoven as to render the outer member expansible either in its circumferential or in its transverse direction when compressed in its transverse or in its circumferential direction respectively, the outer member having an inner cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of the band member.

5. A stocking-supporting garter comprising an inner elastic band member and a round tubular outer member wherein the band member is slidable, said outer member being a webcomposed -of comparatively hard elastic bres intersecting diagonally and so loosely interwoven as to render the outer member expansible either in its circumferential or in its transverse direction when compressed in its transverse or in its circumferential direction respectively, the outer member having an inner cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of the band member.

6. A stocking-supporting garter comprising an inner elastic band member and a round tubular outer member having adjacent aring and hemmed free ends.

FRANK W. KEELER. 

